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Free Fort McMurray & Alberta Lawyer Referral Service. See Phone Number below.
Fort McMurray Criminal LawyersFort McMurray criminal lawyers are the men and women of Fort McMurray’s legal community who help the people of northern Alberta deal with their criminal law issues. Sometimes criminal "lawyers" are referred to as criminal "attorneys" although this is usually considered to be more of an American term. A criminal conviction can result in all sorts of negative consequences to the accused person. These consequences can include fines, a drivers license suspension (in the case of impaired driving offenses), forfeiture of property, a jail or prison term as well as a permanent criminal record, depending on the circumstances. Criminal proceedings and in particular a criminal conviction can change your life forever. The best lawyer is the one that helps you through the process of the criminal justice system. Ideally they will help you avoid a criminal conviction as well. Fort McMurray criminal lawyers appear in court as trial lawyers but they also deal with all the other circumstances that accompany a criminal offence – such as arrest, detention, bail, release, arraignment, the conducting of a preliminary inquiry if there is one, speaking to sentence in the event of a finding of guilt (or a guilty plea) as well as sentencing and in many cases the later issues of release, probation and parole. "Speaking to sentence" is a particularly important part of the process. This is where the lawyer speaks to the Judge on your behalf after you have plead guilty or after there is a finding of guilt (if there is) following a trial. Speaking to sentence can do a lot to help minimize the sentence imposed by the court. Criminal offences are generally those found in the Criminal Code of Canada. The Criminal Code is “Canada wide” and generally applies from coast to coast. There are more hundreds of sections to the Criminal Code dealing with all aspects of criminal law. It can be extremely complicated. You can access federal laws that apply in Fort McMurray including the Criminal Code of Canada at the official Justice Department web site. You can view all Alberta provincial laws that apply in Fort McMurray at the official “Queen’s Printer” website. Criminal offences in Canada can be of different types. There are summary conviction offences, indictable offences and "hybrid" offenses which are both. “Misdemeanor” and “felony offense" and the like are American terms and have no place in Canadian law. Some of the more common criminal offences in Canada are:
There are of course many other offences, including murder (more properly called homicide) and treason and terrorism offences, but these are some of the more common. It is the drug charges - especially involving trafficking cocaine and especially if these involve money laundering and forfeiture of property charges - that are especially difficult from the Fort McMurray criminal lawyer’s perspective. The courts deal seriously with drug trafficking. Even simple possession of cocaine is a very serious matter and again especially if there are money laundering and forfeiture of property charges involved. These can lead to long periods of incarceration and other very serious consequences. Drug trafficking and especially cocaine trafficking are among the most serious drug charges that a Fort McMurray criminal lawyer has to defend. The same with conspiracy to import drugs or conspiracy to traffic charges. The conspiracy charges are especially difficult from the criminal lawyer’s perspective because of the length of time that those matters frequently occupy. The preliminary inquiries and the trials can last for weeks on end or even months on end. Drugs are covered by the “Controlled Drugs and Substances Act” of Canada . With the impaired driving charges , the driving over .08 charges and the refusing to blow charges the law is constantly evolving and your Fort McMurray criminal lawyer must always be aware of the changes taking place. Most defenses to these impaired and "drinking and driving charges" are technical defenses which require a good and up to date working knowledge of the impaired driving laws. Once charged with an offense, an accused person in Fort McMurray may or may not elect or have an election to have a trial in Provincial Court or in the Court of Queen’s bench and as well may or may not elect or have an election to have a preliminary inquiry. It depends on whether an offence is a summary offence or an indictable offence and in many cases, in which way the Crown has decided to proceed. The same is true for whether or not the accused is entitled to have a jury trial. Your Fort McMurray criminal lawyer will be able to assist you in making these elections, if there are any. In the absence of any elections, almost all trials are held in the Provincial Court of Alberta before a Judge of the Provincial Court. While the bulk of criminal offences are contained in the Criminal Code of Canada as amended from time to time (including impaired driving) there are many other offences that are criminal in nature but which exist outside of the criminal code in other legislation. The drug charges mentioned above are in this category. Some examples of such other legislation include:
While most criminal offences are federal crimes, there are some provincial offences which are referred to as criminal or quasi-criminal in nature. Your Fort McMurray criminal lawyers will be able to assist you with these as well. Provincial legislation that might give rise to these offences could include one or more of the following:
You can be sure that we have access to all of these laws at our Fort McMurray office. If you are looking for a legal aid lawyer in Fort McMurray, it is suggested that you request whatever lawyer it is that you want right on the Legal Aid application. The Legal Aid Society is constantly reviewing their procedures. It is best to specifically request your lawyer right on your Legal Aid application. When you apply for Legal Aid, put right on the form who you would like to be your lawyer. That is probably your best chance for Legal Aid to grant a "certificate" to cover the lawyer that you want. Call the Legal Aid office in Fort McMurray for more information at:
The pace of court cases in the Fort McMurray court system can vary widely. The best criminal lawyers in Fort McMurray are those that are familiar with how things work in Fort McMurray and in the criminal justice system right in Fort McMurray. It is important, in considering your Fort McMurray criminal lawyers that you select one that is practical, experienced and knowledgeable of exactly how things work in Fort McMurray. They should have previous experience in Fort McMurray. We are that counsel for a lawyer referral. We are that law firm referral company. We are your Fort McMurray Criminal Lawyers referral company.
Free Lawyer Referral Service - Call (780) 669-2765. |
If you are seeking a criminal lawyer in Fort McMurray or elsewhere in Alberta, call us. We will help you find a lawyer. Phone (780) - 669 - 2765
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We currently operate this page as a FREE Alberta Criminal Lawyer referral site.
Call: (780) 669-2765.
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